What is sea freight shipping?
Sea freight shipping is a method of transporting large quantities of goods using transport vessels. Cargo is loaded into containers and loaded onto ships. A typical cargo ship can carry around 18,000 containers, which means sea freight from China to USA is a cost-effective way to transport large quantities of goods over long distances.
Why choose sea freight shipping ?
Capacity and Value:One container can hold 10,000 beer bottles! And ocean freight is cheaper. As a rule of thumb, anything over 500kg is too expensive to ship by air.
Fewer restrictions:International law, national laws, carrier organization regulations and individual carrier regulations all play a role in defining and restricting what cargo is considered dangerous for transport. In general, more products are restricted to air freight than sea freight shipping, including gases, all flammable items, toxic or corrosive items, magnetic substances, oxidants, and biochemical products.
Emissions:CO2 emissions from sea transport are negligible compared to air transport. For example, 5,000 km of 2 tons by sea will result in 150 kg of CO2 emissions, compared to 6,605 kg of CO2 by air, according to the study.
There are many ways of sea freight shipping
FCL or Full Case Load, you buy one or more full cases to send on board.20 feet, internal capacity 33 cubic meters
40 feet and can carry up to 66 cubic meters.
This solution ensures a safe and secure shipping process as your containers are sealed from the origin to the final destination address.LCL or less than a container load, your products share a container because you may not have a full container’s worth. Once they reach their destination, the contents of the container are split again.
For small batches, this option is more cost-effective as only a portion of the container will be used to transport your cargo.
This solution allows you to significantly reduce shipping costs. Your shipments are loaded into containers with other customers’ shipments, and you end up paying only for the space you need.
Which is better for me?
For FCL sea freight shipping, all the goods in the container are owned by one party, while LCL involves the packing of goods from multiple shippers together.
Business needs and inventory needs determine a company’s shipping decisions, as well as factors such as cost and type of merchandise. For example, LCL allows you to maintain a smaller, more adaptable inventory of products, while FCL is ideal for bulk items and high- volume products.
Cost of sea freight shipping
Sea freight is generally 4-6 times cheaper than air freight. If you are concerned about reducing costs, ocean freight will appeal to you. When determining the cost of sea freight, 1 cbm is equal to 1000kg and 6 cbm is equal to 1000kg by air.
If you increase the weight of your ocean freight, there is little chance of a price increase. If you import heavier goods by air, the cost difference between the two options will widen to 4-6 times more than usual.
Do i need to buy sea freight shipping insurance?
International logistics is not an easy procedure. Partial risk is involved in the succession and manipulation of actors throughout the expedition. This risk is innate: technical error, human error, or just “nature”. Either way, there are risks you can’t deny, so it’s best to protect yourself in the event of theft, breakage, or loss.
How much is sea freight shipping insurance?
Insurance costs vary based on estimated risk. Therefore, several factors will be determined, in particular: the route, the handling involved, the packaging and the nature of the product.
Sea freight shipping steps
Step 1: Pick up from your supplier to the warehouse
The freight forwarder in China contact your suppliers to plan the pickup of the goods, while anticipating any potential demand, especially in regards to the packing or loading of the goods.
Step 2: Transport the goods from the warehouse to the port of departure
The goods will be transferred to the port of departure after the approval of the export department of our company.
Step 3: Submit documents to pass through Export Customs
In order to legally export goods, it is necessary to pass the export customs and declare the nature of the product (especially with a “packing list”).
Step 4: The cargo is chartered from the port of departure to the port of arrival
After the goods are loaded on the ship, they are transported to the port of arrival. A few weeks later, the ship was moored at the port of destination. Goods will be released soon!
Step 5: Clear customs with local authorities
Once the goods arrive, you will pay local duties. Our customs brokers will get in touch with the local government to organize the release of the goods (after paying taxes). These documents will be provided to the customs authorities to determine the tax amount. Therefore, we will establish a link between the authorities and you, thanks to an authorized “customs broker”.After payment of duties, the goods will be released for delivery.
Step 6: Trucking from Port of Arrival to Your Warehouse
To complete the shipment, we will use our truck network to deliver the goods directly to the desired address. If necessary, we will also manage the unloading after the goods arrive.
